7 Careers Project Management Professionals Should Pursue

Successful business developments are often made possible by those with the skills to take ideas from mere thought to execution. Whether it’s a new product, an innovative service, or scaling up a company’s structure; at the core of these ventures is the key role of a project manager – an expert who oversees such endeavours and ensures they return optimum results.

Below, we break down the importance and responsibilities of project management, the top career paths aspiring professionals should pursue, and how training with Lumify Learn can help.

What is project management?

Project management involves the skills, knowledge, and processes required to successfully lead teams through a given business project. Such projects typically aim to deliver a product, service, or solution – such as the development of a specific software, the construction of a building, or the rebranding of a company.

Those who work within this sector are thus known as “project professionals”, individuals who are tasked with ensuring that a project team meets its goals within the established constraints (i.e. budget, deadlines, provided resources, etc.). They are responsible for optimising team performance by delegating the right people to the right tasks, setting manageable objectives, boosting worker morale, and adapting to new ideas or circumstances when necessary.

7 careers project management professionals should pursue

The category of “project management professional” typically points to a broad scope of roles. Such careers include:

Project coordinator

Project coordinators oversee the daily processes of a project, spending their time organising team members, project tasks, and resources as necessary. As such, they typically deal with the more administrative aspects of the assignment. This could include monitoring team progress, compiling reports for stakeholders, organising invoices or contracts, scheduling tasks, and planning for meetings.

Though much of their work may overlap with a project manager’s, those in this role typically report to the assistant or senior project manager. They tend to all the necessary daily tasks that help keep the project on track and in line with the project manager’s broader goals.

According to Payscale, project coordinators earn an average of $66,466 AUD per year, with the highest-paid earning about $93,000 AUD.

Assistant project manager

In the case of large-scale, highly complex projects, a business may hire an assistant project manager to help with oversight and general management duties. Those in this role report directly to the project manager, keeping them up to date on project progress, monitoring daily project performance, and helping identify any resource gaps or further project requirements. Other routine, low-risk tasks may also form a part of their day-to-day schedule, including budget reports and scheduling.

Assistant project managers may share a few responsibilities with project coordinators, though their role is less administrative and more focused on management activities. Those aspiring to a project management career may thus start out in this position, as it can help them shadow and learn from those experienced in the field.

According to SEEK, the average assistant project manager earns between $80,000 AUD and $120,000 AUD per year in Australia.

Senior project manager

Senior project managers are responsible for the end-to-end details of a given project. They help design the project’s entire outline – including crucial deadlines, the necessary resources, budgetary requirements, performance metrics, and risk management guidelines. Those in this role thus oversee an entire project from ideation to delivery, and may provide the on-site leadership team members require to successfully achieve their objectives.

As projects often undergo unexpected changes or requirements, senior project managers must be adaptive enough to pivot or evolve the project as necessary. They may also encourage or implement ongoing professional development, ensuring their team members are up-to-date with the latest practices, methods, and technologies.

According to Indeed, the average salary for senior project managers in Australia is currently $171,627 AUD per year.

Business analyst

Business analysts collect, examine, and interpret relevant data in order to pinpoint areas for technological improvement within a company’s processes. Using this information, they then recommend the necessary software, hardware, systems, or services required to improve business efficiency and boost value. At the same time, these experts must also straddle the line between what they deem as innovative changes and what’s technologically and financially feasible.

Along with a sharp skillset in data analytics, those in this role must also have experience in budgeting, reporting, and financial analysis; as well as a strong knowledge of regulatory requirements.

According to Payscale, business analysts earn an average of $77,849 AUD per year in Australia.

Marketing project management

A common sub-field of project management are the projects related to marketing and advertising. Project managers are often sought after by this sector for their skills in optimising and keeping marketing campaigns on track.

Marketing project managers will typically apply the traditional phases of project management (initiation, planning, execution, performance, and closure), but with an added element of market research and data analysis. Those in this role are thus expected to also be skilled marketing strategists and professionals; able to craft innovative, effective, and cost-effective initiatives.

According to Payscale, the average marketing project manager in Australia earns about $80,123 AUD per year.

IT project management

Another industry of high project management demand is IT – a field of constant development and innovation. Companies are thus on a continuous hunt for experts who can launch their latest tech ideas to success, whether it’s the creation of new software solutions, the development of new technologies, or to simply scale up their current IT processes and systems.

IT project managers are thus typically responsible for communicating with vendors, IT managers, executive business leaders and other stakeholders; and may be required to apply common project management methodologies in tech, such as Agile, Scrum, and Lean.

According to Payscale, the average IT project manager earns about $109,234 AUD per year in Australia.

Construction project management

Finally, project managers may wish to pursue opportunities in the construction industry. This typically involves overseeing the establishment of new buildings, refineries, power plants, or other infrastructure.

Construction project managers often follow five main stages of development:

• the planning stage, which generally involves feasibility studies, budgeting, and data analysis;

• the design stage, in which detailed blueprints for the project are developed;

• the preconstruction stage, in which the game plan for construction is established – including the timeline, necessary resources, budget, and tasks;

• the procurement stage, involving the sourcing, purchasing, and transporting of resources to your project;

• and finally, the construction stage, in which team members begin constructing their given assignment based on project objectives and constraints.

According to Talent.com, those in this field earn an average of $120,938 AUD per year in Australia.

Ready to become a project management professional?

Think you’ve got what it takes to enter project management?

Lumify Learn currently offers a bootcamp Certified Project Management Professional course, aimed to train aspiring project managers with the basic principles, methodologies, and practices of the field. You’ll get to sharpen and verify your skillset through three globally-recognised certifications: Prince2 Foundation, AgilePM Foundation, and Scrum Fundamental Certified. Additionally, the course explores other key areas of project management automation, robotic process automation, and more.

Best of all, the program is delivered completely online, helping you train at a time, place, and pace that suits you and your study needs best.

Build the sought-after expertise you need in leading project management frameworks, and enquire with us on the course today.